The Art of Liqueursby

The Art of Liqueurs

• Liqueurs have been made in Europe since at least the 16th century.

• The original intention was medicinal: to extract the essence of herbs that were commonly used to cure common ailments, and make these often rather bitter ingredients more palatable by making the drink much sweeter.

• Today a liqueur must have at least 100 grammes per litre of sugar – about one tenth of the product – 250g/L in the case of products described as Crèmes, and over 400g/L for the Dijon classic, Crème de Cassis.

• The base spirit can be either a neutral spirit, allowing the pure fruit flavours to be the stars of the show, or a more flavoursome base such as whisky or cognac.

• The flavours can be added by a number of different methods, each extracting flavours in very different ways: distillation, percolation, infusion, maceration, pressing or maturation.

The Flavours• The potential sources of flavour are wonderfully varied:

• Herbs

• Spices

• Flowers

• Fruit, where each part brings something different to the flavour profile:

• Flesh

• Stone

• Peel

• Leaves

• Gabriel Boudier only uses natural fruits that have been processed under careful supervision. NO artificial flavours are used. In order to maintain complete control over the quality of their supply they only purchases from ethical growers.

• Following the fruit harvest, the fruit is frozen immediately at source. The fruit is then stored in specially adapted freezer warehouses. The fruit is transferred to a defrosting unit specially developed by Gabriel Boudier

• All Gabriel Boudier liqueurs contain the maximum concentration of fruit. The alcohol level of each liqueur was specially chosen to suit the preparation of most classic cocktails.

Extracting the Flavours and Colours

• Maceration: the ingredients are soaked in cold spirit. Depending on the ingredient, this can take anything from hours to months. The alcohol plays a double role, that of a solvent and of a preservative.

• Infusion: the ingredients (often in a dried form) are soaked in warm spirit, a bit like making a cup of tea. This method is usually quicker and extracts more than maceration.

• Percolation: the spirit (hot or cold) is trickled through the ingredients in a column or other closed container.

• Distillation: the ingredients are distilled with the spirit, extracting the more volatile flavours. This does not bring over any colour or sugar, so some of the other methods are usually required as well. This is most often the process in rich, volatile fruits such as citrus fruits and pears like Poire Williams.

• Maturation: this can draw colour and flavour from the wood, and gently expose the liquid to oxygen, as well as giving all the ingredients a chance to marry.

• Pressing: the aim of this is to extract the remaining fruit properties which haven’t already infused naturally

Gabriel Boudier Range of Real Fruit Liqueurs

• Maceration and infusion use the principle of osmosis. The fruit is lightly pressed and then macerated in a water-alcohol mixture for a suitable period depending on the type of fruit. The water-alcohol mixture dissolves the aromas in the pectin, the pectin itself and the natural sugars of the fruit.

• Distillation is used for fruits which are rich in volatile aromas such as citrus, pears etc.

• Numerous liqueurs can be produced by blending the macerations and the alcohols from distillation in order to faithfully reproduce the taste of the original fruit. So for example, the natural colour of a pear, its ‘rich’ texture, its natural sugars and its ‘heavy’ aromas are obtained by maceration while the more subtle aromas are obtained by distillation. By blending the two together, the taste and aromas of the fresh fruit can be faithfully reproduced.

Production

• Mixing :

• The purpose of mixing is to find the perfect balance between the strength of the alcohol and the acidity of the fruit and the sugar

• At Gabriel Boudier, there are 4 mixers each with different capacities

• The sugar is added at the top of the mixer

• The infusion and sugar are then mixed together until the sugar is completely dissolved

• This process takes between 1 and 7 hours

• Distillation :

• In some cases the chosen method is distillation; this is most often the process in rich, volatile fruits such as citrus fruits like “Poires Williams”

• The macerated infusion which contains the natural sugar, pectin and heavy aromas are distilled

• It is the distillation which reinstates the more subtle aromas and tastes

The “Crèmes” Range

This is a magnificent range of complex flavours, powerful yet subtle and is widely considered the best in the world

All natural ingredientsAll 20% ABV, the perfect level for saturation of fruit

Crème de Cassis de Dijon

Crème de Framboises

Crème de Fraises a la fraise des bois

Crème de Mures sauvages

Crème de Pêches

Gabriel BoudierCrème de Cassis

Produced from fruit grown in the classic areas of France, following a unique process:

Fruit is freeze dried at harvest, and macerated 6 times per year for a really fresh product

•The ideal base for a "Vin Blanc Cassis" - the second most popular apéritif in France. (For the best results mix 1 part Crème de Cassis de Dijon with 4 parts of dry white Burgundy).•The high fruit concentration in Gabriel Boudier’s Crème de Cassis means that you can use half the amount you would normally need. Your apéritif will be fruitier, not over-sweet, and more economical to make.

“The best blackcurrant fruit liqueur in the business"Jane MacQuitty, The Times

The Bartender range• Gabriel Boudier only use natural fruit that has been processed under careful supervision• All liqueurs contain the optimum concentration of fruit to make them more economical in use• The density of each liqueur has been chosen to suit the preparation of most classic cocktails

The Fruits:Liqueur de Pommes 21% Abv3 varieties of apple are used: Green (Granny Smith) Yellow (Golden Delicious) & Red (Red Delicious) are used in the making of this excellent liqueur. The yellow is distilled and the red and green are macerated at approx. 18-20°C twice. The final subtle mixture brings out the true aromas and flavours of the fresh apple varieties.Pomegranate Liqueur 24% Abv:Pomegranates have been cultivated in the Middle East for thousands of years and today the best fruit is sourced by Gabriel Boudier from Iran. The arils (seeds) are macerated with some of the flesh to give a unique refreshing liqueur with a pleasant slightly astringent finish.Liqueur de Poire Williams 30% AbvCompetitive products often take alcohol distilled from Poire Williams pears and just add some caramel. Gabriel Boudier take the whole fruit, cut it in half and then macerate it and using our distillation capability the two liquids are combined to create this sublime liqueur which smells and tastes just like a real pear. A tiny amount of apple is added during the maceration to give added backbone.Crème de Bananes 25% AbvDried bananas from Ecuador are macerated and distilled by Gabriel Boudier to give a very ripe taste. A hint of rum is also added. Liqueur de Framboises (Raspberries) 20% Abv:Jean Battault says they have found Scotland is the best source for raspberries in the world. In total 200 tonnes is produced each year and Gabriel Boudier buys 180 tonnes – the remainder is sold fresh in the Scottish market. The raspberries are macerated in alcohol and then a carefully controlled amount of raspberry brandy is added. This is an exceptional fruit liqueur with an intense aroma of fresh raspberries that tastes just like the ripe fruit on the palate. Gabriel Boudier uses less sugar in their Liqueur de Framboises than many competitors and this shows on the finish which is not at all cloying and has a good balance of acidity.Crème de Cassis 20% Abv: Gabriel Boudier Crème de Cassis is made using three varieties of blackcurrant: Noir de Bourgogne, Royal de Naples & Blackdown all picked at optimum ripeness. The liqueur is made by a unique process: first, the fruit is frozen within one hour of picking to avoid any possibility of oxidation. The frozen fruit is then released from cold store and macerated as required (six times per year) and when fully saturated it is bottled at 20% Abv. Some cheaper Cassis can be found with lower levels of alcohol but they will not have the same concentration of fruit.

The Fruits:Cherry Brandy 24% Abv:This Cherry Brandy is made by blending black and bitter cherries of three different varieties and origins with a very high quality grape spirit carefully selected by Gabriel Boudier. The result is a much finer example than you will find elsewhere with the aroma and taste of true ripe cherries.Le Guignolet de Dijon 18% AbvThis liqueur is an exclusive Gabriel Boudier liqueur also made from cherries that was invented when the company was founded. The presentation is in the original square shaped bottle and the label is the original design with the decoration of the Nicham Iftikar (The Order of Loyalty) at the top, issued by the Bey of Tunis who was especially fond of this sweet liqueur. Made by macerating four types of cherries – the same three as in the liqueur above - plus the Merisier cherry. This liqueur is extremely popular in export markets.Crème de Pêches 18% Abv:The fruit used for this liqueur is the yellow peach which is gently pressed and macerated taking care not to crush the stones. The resulting liqueur has a sensational aroma of ripe peach and a faithful taste of the real fruit on the palate.Apricot Brandy 24% Abv:Apricots carefully selected for their aromatic quality, soundness and maturity are macerated in fine brandy. The resulting alcoholic apricot juice is drawn off and a carefully controlled amount of sugar is added; the liqueur obtained faithfully reproduces the taste of the apricots. A tiny amount of peach is added to the recipe. Crème de Cacao (Clear) 15% Abv Barmen asked for this liqueur for preparing cocktails without adding the colour of chocolate just the roasted flavours of cocoa beans. This liqueur is obtained by distilling previously roasted Ivory Coast cocoa beans. Very subtle aromas on the nose. Crème de Cacao (Dark) 25% AbvStronger aromas and flavour on the palate with a distinct hint of coffee on the finish. Unlike the 15 % vol. cocoa liqueur (above), previously roasted whole cocoa beans are macerated in alcohol to extract the cocoa butter, the colour and flavours of the cocoa. Jean Battault says it is highly popular for its natural bitterness and strong dark chocolate taste.Crème de Café 21% AbvThis coffee liqueur evokes the best Italian espressos. Coffee beans selected from the best South American varieties are roasted. The coffee aromas are extracted using steam (like an espresso) before adding alcohol and sugar. This coffee liqueur faithfully reproduces the taste of espresso coffee.

The Fruits:Curacao Bleu 25% Abv:The zest of small Curaçao oranges, which have a highly aromatic peel, is removed and the oranges distilled in Gabriel Boudier’s 150-year old stills. This is matured in glass demijohns in an attic for 5 years before adding a carefully controlled amount of sugar to make an intense orange liqueur. The blue colour universally used in making Blue Curacao liqueur is an authorised EU colour and the only artificial colouring in the entire Gabriel Boudier range. Curacao Triple Sec 40% Abv:Gabriel Boudier is well-known for high quality distillation of citrus fruits particularly the rare Curacao orange famous for its bitterness and intense orange flavour. Gabriel Boudier Triple Sec is produced in the same way as Curacao Bleu (above) but without the addition of the blue colour. Triple Sec is an essential ingredient in numerous cocktail recipes.Orange Fine Champagne 40% AbvTo make this full strength brandy liqueur Gabriel Boudier takes the best Cognac, Fine Champagne and then separately distils the best citrus fruits such as Sweet Orange, Curacao orange, Bergamot orange (not related to the herb), Limette, Lemon, Citron, Mandarin, etc. These citrus fruit alcoholates mature separately in glass demijohns before being blended together in proportions kept secret by Gabriel Boudier. The result is a new citrus taste, taking the main characteristics from each fruit used in the recipe. While no single fruit in particular can be recognised, each one contributes to this unique taste, the Fine Champagne brandy acting as fixative to all these citrus distillates. Quite dry on the finish.Crème de Melons Verts 20% AbvMelons from Honduras and China are carefully selected and then macerated in alcohol and the resulting liqueur has a sensational fresh melon taste that combines excellently in cocktails with flavours such as elderflower, lychees, strawberry etc.Liqueur de Lychees 20% AbvPerfectly ripe lychees are macerated in alcohol to make this liqueur to which a small amount of sugar is added. A lovely ripe taste well balanced with acidity on the finish. Could be enjoyed on its own over ice. Sloe Gin 25% AbvUsing organic sloe berries picked in the Czech Republic after the first frosts, the wild sloes from the limestone plateaux are macerated whole in gin previously distilled by Gabriel Boudier. All the aromas and the colour of the flesh and stones of the sloes dissolve in the gin. After maceration, a carefully controlled amount of sugar is added to obtain this traditional liqueur, which originates in Great Britain.Crème de Menthe 21% AbvGabriel Boudier Crème de Menthe is made from two carefully selected mint varieties: the subtle Mitcham and the more powerful Peppermint. The result is both fresh and spicy at the same time.

Bernard Loiseau Liqueursby Gabriel Boudier

• Bernard Loiseau was one of the pioneers of nouvelle cuisine at his iconic restaurant in Saulieu, Burgundy. Since his death in 2003, his wife Dominique has continued his high standards with the help of his right hand man, Patrick Bertron. Bertron and the head sommelier Eric Goettelmann have collaborated with Jean Battault, owner of Gabriel Boudier, to create a range of truly original liqueurs that combine the skill of one of the world's finest micro-distillers and the experience of a chef at the peak of his powers. These premium liqueurs offer exciting new possibilities for cocktails, but they are so versatile that they can be enjoyed on their own as digestifs, and even, in the French style, as aperitifs.

• Liqueur de Cassis & Pain d’Epices (Cassis and gingerbread)

• Crème de Prunelles & Sureau (Sloe and elderberry)

• Crème de Fraises & Poivre de Tasmanie (Strawberry and Tasmanian pepper)

• Crème de Framboises & Thym (raspberry and thyme)

• Crème de Pêches & Fleur d’Hibiscus (Peach and hibiscus flower)

• Liqueur de Pommes & Thé Earl Grey (Apple and Earl Grey tea)

• Liqueur de Poires & Laurier (Pear and bay leaf)

• Crème de Griottes & Chocolat (Morello cherry and chocolate)